Prep football: Lely rallies late to shock Cape Coral

Trojans quarterback Karbel Dirogene busted two improbable 40-yard touchdown runs in the game’s final two minutes to give Lely a 36-29 Homecoming victory over Cape Coral on Friday night. Video courtesy of NBC-2

Video courtesy of NBC-2

NAPLES - CC 0 7 8 14 -- 29

L 7 0 14 15 -- 36

SCORING

First quarter

L - Dirogene 10 run (Sanchez kick) 5:40

Second quarter

CC - Thibodeau 4 run (Ramirez kick) 3:48

Third quarter

CC - Gaymon 27 pass from Benkert (T. Jiles run) 10:12

L - Jean-Charles 20 pass from Dirogene (Sanchez kick) 7:26

L - Reuther 8 pass from Dirogene (Sanchez kick) 1:58

Fourth quarter

CC - T. Jiles 20 pass from Benkert (Ramirez kick) 7:11

CC - Thibodeau 51 run (Ramirez kick) 2:49

L - Dirogene 41 run (Jean-Charles pass from Dirogene) 1:58

L - Dirogene 40 run (Sanchez kick) 0:49

Turnover- and penalty-prone in its first two games, Lely appeared to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in its game against Cape Coral on Friday night.

The Seahawks' Dustin Thibodeau scored on a 51-yard run with less than three minutes to play to give Cape Coral a 29-21 lead. The touchdown came a few plays after a Trojans turnover -- their fourth of the game.

Lely was finished.

Then Trojans quarterback Karbel Dirogene went berserk.

The 6-foot sophomore busted two improbable 40-yard touchdown runs in the game's final two minutes to give Lely an exhilarating 36-29 Homecoming victory, its first of the season.

"(Dirogene) is still young. Still makes mistakes," said Lely coach Dave Miller. "But when the game is on the line, we don't want the ball in anyone else's hands."

Well with two losses to open the season and a whiff of desperation to get a win, especially before a homecoming crowd, Miller must have felt Friday's game was on the line from the outset.

Except for three rushing attempts, Dirogene was involved in every Lely offensive play. He ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, and threw for another 247 yards and two scores on 21-for-36 passing.

After Thibodeau, who had 212 yards rushing, scored to give Cape Coral a 29-21 lead, some of the crowd began filing out of Trojans Stadium.

But on Lely's ensuing possession, Dirogene broke countless tackles to score from 41 yards out with 1 minute, 58 seconds remaining to bring Lely within a two-point conversion.

Dirogene then hit Jean Jean-Charles, who he connected with earlier for a 20-yard touchdown, in the flat for an easy two-point conversion and to tie the game.

Cape Coral, led by quarterback Kurt Benkert, attempted three unsuccessful pass plays before being forced to punt.

Lely (1-2) got the ball back on its own 37-yard line with 1:33 remaining. The Trojans moved the ball to the Seahawks 41 for a first down. Set up in shotgun formation, Dirogene handled a high snap, seemed to be tackled in the backfield, broke free, and zig-zagged between Cape Coral defenders for the go-ahead score.

Trojans Stadium was in bedlam.

"All I saw was white (Cape Coral) jerseys," said Dirogene, who began playing football four years ago. "The blocking inspired me. We have each other's back. They let me do my job, which is to lead this team."

Cape Coral had a chance to tie the game on a Hail Mary pass with five seconds remaining. The ball was tipped by a Lely defender into a Seahawks receiver's hands, but he dropped it inside the end zone.

"That game was way too exciting," Miller said. "We had some adversity tonight, but we kept fighting."